Activision Blizzard transitions all QA to full-time staff

“Over the past two years, Call of Duty has expanded and evolved. Our development cycles have evolved from an annual release to an “always-on” model,” says Taub. “In response to the increased commitment, we have expanded our Live Services business across all platforms… In light of these changes and in light of our ambitious plans for the future, we continue to refine the way our development teams work together.”

In a separate email, Ybarra told Blizzard staff, “Our ability to deliver great games at the ‘Blizzard quality level’ our players have come to expect is critical to ensuring we exceed player expectations. Over the past 6 months I have had the opportunity to listen to and engage with members of our QA team and we have had several meetings where I have outlined my philosophy on contract/full-time roles.”

The move follows growing unionization efforts at Activision Blizzard, first at the ABetterABK Workers Alliance, a workers’ collective that has organized various strikes across the company in support of better working conditions. Raven’s QA staff also formed Blizzard’s first-ever labor union earlier this year.

Matt TM Kim is the news editor of IGN. you can reach him @lawoftd.